The Dusty Wooden Door - April 13, 2026

I’d like to tell those who let

others tend to their landscapes -

you’ll miss seeing and smelling

the first, the happiest rose on the bush

and never encounter the ground squirrel

family that’s been living under those

shrubs on either side of your walkway,

or touch one of the aloe flower stems,

thrusting yellow into sky where

you could meet a hummingbird -

a braver one will face off with you,

challenge the meaning of your presence

even drink from a flower

as it’s eye burrows into yours

wondering what you’ll do

before you turn towards the house,

where it knows you always go

through that dusty wooden door